Complicated Verdun Intersection ( Really ?), We were crossing that at 5 years old)Mind you they didn't make turns on reds inthose days.

                                                                                                                                     Q: My question is about the traffic lights at Champlain Blvd. and 4th Ave. in Verdun (right across the bridge near the Jolicoeur métro).

There are lights telling pedestrians to cross but at the same time cars are allowed to turn. Depending on which side of the street you are, sometimes you are crossing the street with the turning cars to the left, sometimes to the right. This should be changed. I don't feel safe crossing that street.

Christina

A: This is a complicated intersection, the borough admits, and a pedestrian-only phase in the traffic light sequence was added to give people on foot a head start.

Verdun traffic officials explained via borough spokesperson Francine Morin (she didn't name the traffic officials) that the traffic lights have four main phases. The first is five seconds long, giving pedestrians crossing Champlain an exclusive right-of-way, meaning all other vehicles face red lights in that phase. Pedestrians should have time to reach the middle of the street, the officials said, before cars start turning in the next phase.

The second phase is a solid green light for cars coming from the bridge, turning right and left on Champlain or proceeding to 5th Ave. The solid green means cars do not have priority over pedestrians crossing Champlain at 4th or 5th Aves. They must let pedestrians cross before they can turn.

The third phase allows cars on Champlain to proceed left, right or straight.

The fourth and last traffic light phase detects the presence of a vehicle or vehicles waiting at 4th Ave. and allows them and only them to proceed. All other vehicles face red lights in that phase.

This intersection has other particularities. Cyclists wanting to cross the east side of the bridge, where the cycling path is located, can press a button to activate a green arrow for passage at the start of Phase 3. They are protected at that point since cars cannot turn toward the bridge. If cyclists do not press the button they can still proceed but so can cars.

There is also an aural signal for the visually impaired at 5th Ave.

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